Charges filed against Rusk Co. murder suspect who remains at large

Rusk County (WQOW) – Even though the suspect in the shooting death of a man in Rusk County is still on the run, he is now formally charged with murder.

Preston Kraft is charged with first degree intentional homicide, and bail jumping, for Friday afternoon’s shooting death of Robert Pettit. That’s according to a copy of the charges obtained by News 18.

According to the complaint, Kraft pulled into the driveway of a rural Conrath home and was yelling about killing the whole family. A resident (Crystal Trudeau) told detectives Kraft said he would, "chop her head off, and run her over."

Trudeau said she saw Pettit walk toward Kraft, and then Kraft drove away. Moments later, she heard five shots, and found Pettit laying on the ground, and saw Kraft driving away again.

Officials said Pettit was shot in the head. They also said the home had surveillance cameras, which captured the shooting.

About an hour later, deputies spotted Kraft – leading to a chase that hit 115 mph. Police eventually lost the car.

Tuesday, the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office said there have been three new tips about the location of Kraft, but he still hasn’t been found.

If you have knowledge of Kraft’s whereabouts, please contact the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office at 715-532-2200 or your local Law Enforcement Agency.

(Here is the full criminal complaint filed in Rusk County by Sheriff Jeff Wallace)